Page 23 of Booker

“What’s the temperature? There’s already ice on the bridge.”

Lexi pulled up her phone. “We were at thirty-six when we left. It’s dropped to below freezing in the last hour.”

He inched the truck down the other side of the bridge. He wondered if they needed to rebuild the bridge from one thatarched up and then down to a flat one. He couldn’t imagine crossing it with snow and ice both on it.

His phone and Lexi’s beeped with a text.Code Ross

“Drew, we need to hurry. Mom texted help is needed. She wouldn’t do that unless something had happened,” Lexi said.

He worried about what was happening that would cause Maureen to send that code.

“Look at that app Cowboy installed and see if you have video.”

It seemed like hours but was only seconds before Lexi had it pulled up.

“The delivery truck is there with both doors to the cab open. I can’t see anything else,” Lexi said.

“Check the inside cameras.”

Lexi flipped and held it up to him. The kitchen showed the back door open but no one in the room. Lexi flipped through showing him different rooms until…

“Stop, flip back to the one of the back porch. I thought I saw something toward the bottom right edge.”

Lexi flipped back and then maximized the video.

“Oh no! That’s Compass’s boot just barely in the feed. And look, there’s a drag mark that looks like blood here.”

Lexi’s phone rang. Cowboy was calling. She answered.

“Yes.”

“We’re still ten minutes out. How close are you guys?” he asked.

“About five minutes or less,” Booker said.

“I’ve checked all the feeds. Can’t find Maureen, Buckles, or whoever was the delivery person. Compass looks like he’s out on the porch. What’s the plan?” Cowboy asked.

“I don’t think we can wait for you guys. We have guns, and I think we need to get there and assess the situation,” Booker said, looking toward Lexi. He hoped she agreed with him or, if not, he prayed she had a better idea.

Lexi nodded and reached behind her to grab one of the ranch’s semi-automatic rifles out of the gun rack. She checked the clip and then nodded at him.

At least it was full. He could see the ranch buildings in the distance.

“Just through the road, you think?” he asked.

“I think you should take a left around the barns and go off the road. Come in by the house where the garden is. If they’re watching, maybe they won’t expect us to do that. I’m scared, Drew, but I’ll do what it takes to save my mom.”

He took one hand off the wheel to give a squeeze to her hand.

“You can do this.”

He slowed down a little. He didn’t want to screw this up so close. As they rounded the large Morton building, he drove between the entrance to the range and up through the garden.

Lexi rolled down her window and leaned out a little. A man who he assumed was her brother was trying to grab Maureen’s arms, and Buckles was trying to pick up her feet.

“Not happening on my watch,” Lexi said, then fired.

Buckles spun a little as Lexi’s bullet hit him in the shoulder.

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